2012 Panini Contenders Football marks the brand's twentieth season in the hobby. Like past years, the "contenders" theme spreads across the base set and most inserts, offering collectors a release that's extremely focused. It also means that, year to year, each set is consistent. For 2012 Panini Contenders Football, the set looks to the past while still offering a lot of the modern specs that collectors expect.

The 2012 Panini Contenders Football set has 235 cards. Season Ticket is the veteran-focused 100-card subset. A total of 100 second-tier first-year players have Rookie Ticket Autographs. The set's capped off with 35 RPS Rookie Ticket Autographs featuring the season's top rookies. The Rookie Ticket Autographs design is inspired by the classic 1998 Playoff Contenders Rookie Ticket Autographs design that featured Peyton Manning.

Also reaching into the past are Rookie Stallions. Falling three per box, the inserts originally appeared in 1996 Playoff Contenders. 2012 Panini Contenders Football has three additional basic insert sets, each of which carry the brand's unifying theme. Legendary Contenders center on retired greats.MVP Contenders honors the NFL's top players. Rookie of the Year Contenders is all about those making an impact in their first season. Each of these basic inserts can be found three per box. Collectors can also look for autographed versions.

2012 Panini Contenders Football Product Review

Good: Massive amount of rookie autographs with a chance at finding short-printed variations, 14K Golden Ticket one-of-ones made of real gold, autographs from Gridiron Greats including Fran Tarkenton, Deion Sanders and the late Junior Seau.

Bad: Sticker autographs, some cards on the sell sheet not on the final checklist.

The Bottom Line: Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Panini could not have asked for a better rookie crop to help bolster Contenders. The brand has been strong since its debut in the 1990s. The 2012 edition is not wavering in price because collectors enjoy the sheer amount of hits per box and the excitement of chasing the key rookies and variations. Contenders is also a set many collectors look back to a few years after the draft when players that did not make an immediate impact start to emerge.

Staff Rating:

4.3 / 5.0

Card Design: 4.0/5.0

Contenders Rookie Tickets have shared a similar look for many years. Panini has designed the 2012 model to keep classic elements from the past two decades, while at the same time, working some new looks for inserts like MVP Contenders and Rookie of the Year Contenders. A little deviation from the norm might not be a bad idea as Contenders enters its third decade in production.

Checklist: 4.5/5.0

This is where Contenders shines. It kicks off with a 100-card base set, and is followed up by a massive checklist of autographed rookie cards. The set also includes a limited number of autographs from several veterans like Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Frank Gore. Contenders also offers dual, triple and quad autographs..

Value: 4.0/5.0

Originally touted as having five autographs per box, collectors have been thrilled with the fact that boxes of Contenders actually include six autographs. Do the math. If you eliminated the other cards in the box, that averages about $22 per autograph. If you find Luck, RGIII, Doug Martin, Russell Wilson or a handful of other outstanding 2012 players, that alone could provide an immediate and substantial return on your investment. Not every box will deliver a top rookie or star, but you have six chances to unpack a desirable card that makes you feel like you got your money's worth.

The Fun Factor: 4.5/5.0

As one of the hobby's longest running brands that focuses on autographed rookie cards, Contenders has a tremendous following. Year in and year out, it is one of the most anticipated football products of the year. This season is no different with a spectacular rookie class. Featuring a deep checklist of nearly 150 rookie autographs, and a plethora of short-printed variations, opening Contenders provides the possibility of a great hit, and a thrill with every pack.

2012 Panini Contenders Football Cards, reviewed by Ryan Cracknell on 2013-03-11T10:00:08+00:00 rating 4.3 out of 5

Ryan Cracknell | E-Mail AuthorRyan is a former member of The Cardboard Connection Writing Staff.
His collecting origins began with winter bike rides to the corner store, tossing a couple of quarters onto the counter and peddling home with a couple packs of O-Pee-Chee hockey in his pocket. Today, he continues to build sets, go after inserts with cool technologies, chase Montreal Expos and finish off his John Jaha master collection and can be found onGoogle+.

User Reviews

5 Autographs
3 Rookie Stallions
3 Legendary Contenders
3 Rookie of the Year Contenders
3 MVP Contenders
120 Total Cards
A breakdown of a box like you guys posted is what makes this product nice. 5 autographs..though mostly rookies..is where this set is made in value. A decent amount of cards in a box and a decent price makes this a product that I among other seek a lot yearly.

I would like to start by saying that the cards look great & that’s what keeps me coming back each year. Unfortunately what is advertised is not what I found in the box. Panini advertises 5 autos 2 being on-card. My breakdown was more like this:

5 sticker auto
0 variation

Considering the 2012 draft I was expecting a little more from Panini this year.

1 on-card auto….!!!!!!! 5 total autos is great, but they will prob. not be in the league next year. I used to be the biggest fan of this product. Now, Im not so sure. Recommendations… DONT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

Ladies and gentleman, to all concerned. I’ve finally found a hobby that my wife and I both enjoy! Of course, she authorizes what can be spent within our budget. But it’s also nice to have a second set of eyes to help in picking the various products that are available. We both seem to agree that our favorite 2012 products are Topps Platinum & Triple Threads. The other products that we both enjoy are Panini Certified, Prizm, and Black. Which leads me into this nice segway, 2012 Panini Contenders! She inquired on several ocassions in regards to a hobby box, I told her to hold off and see if a retail blaster box would be available soon. Well, our patience has rewarded us in this regard. Upon opening the packs, we both commented that the faux ticket on the side seems to make the card design look cheap. The information in regards to the ticket is redundant at best, I found that the only useful information was the home stadium of the player. As for the print and stock quality, we seem to agree that Panini does an excellent job and has yet to disappoint us. As for the most important part in this exciting hobby? HITS! Contenders seems to have taken care of this issue with a auto of Quinton Coples (Not on card), Legendary Champions (Phil Simms) and 2 die cuts. One of Chandler Jones and a MVP of Aaron Rodgers. The later being the card that I am most excited about. As for our rating of 2 stars? Our humble opinion is that of the aforementioned, somewhat gaudy ticket design, has the both of us giving this set a 2 star rating. Looking back, it’s unfair to judge this set against Prizm. Prizm is one of the best designs out there, and not many sets can stand up to the quality and design of Prizm. But that’s what was released prior to Contenders. Will I buy or recommend this product? Buy no, recommend yes, if your inclination is to get autos. We are excitedly awaiting the release of “Totally Certified”! When we rip through the foil packs from the hobby box (I told my wife that I would like to purchase this set) we will enthusiastically share our review with everyone.

Thanks Scott. Toshi, how can you “recommend” a product but not purchase that said product? Prizm is a POS product, 2-autos a box with basically the same RC distribution as Contenders and base Topps Chrome. COMPLETE CRAP AND VERY DISAPPOINTED IN TOPPS. Opened 20 boxes of this product and hit 6 autos in 18 of 20 boxes. The case I opened, hit 6 autos in 12 of 12 boxes. Anyone else have this success? Also have 8 variations that aren’t listed on Panini’s ticket SP and ticket variation SP…any idea on whats up with unlisted variations???

Please except my apology Scott B. and Jim M. It was not my intention to disrespect the both you in anyway. I will not make any more negative comments on products from today and moving forward. I assumed this was a review section done by non-professional card collectors. Thank you gentleman for your rebuttal of my comments.

emeekins » It it’s one of the solid gold cards, they’re one-of-ones. Not sure if they have a serial number. A Kurt Warner redemption sold on Nov. 29 for $500. You’d probably get the most if you redeemed it.